The list is life

Entertainment Weekly ranks 1,000 "new classics" in movies, books, TV shows, albums from the last 25 years. Their movie list is particularly good:—

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
27. Aliens (1986)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
44. The Player (1992)
47. Men in Black (1997)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)

Doubtfuls include:—

7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
20. The Lion King (1994)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
32. Fight Club (1999)
60. Scream (1996)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

When it comes to picking classics, it helps to see which movies are being shown on cable TV: as reliable a guide as any as to which movies are bedding down into the popular consciousness. Many of the movies on this list are to be found there, in almost constant rotation. It's worth remembering, the next time you hear a critic going on about how movies have declined/died/had their souls sucked out by Star Wars, etc etc.